Elastic amusement toy



Ap 1 965 A. MARIINO 3,179,409

ELASTIC AMUSEMENT T'OY Filed we so, 1962 INVENTOR. A/VGfZO MAR/N0 UnitedStates Patent Ofi ice 3,179,469 Patented Apr. 20, 1965 3,179,409 ELASTICAMUSEMENT TOY Angelo Marino, 1955 51st St., Brooklyn, NY. Filed Oct. 30,1962, Ser. No. 234,097 1 Claim. (Cl. 272-57) The present invention isdirected to toys, and more particularly to the type wherein the childplaces himself thereon and causes the toy to move.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a toy of thetype described on which the child may stand, which is readilymanipulated by him in all directions and which may be used by the childfor obtaining exercise by himself, or may be used in competitive sportby him. 7

It is also among the objects of the present invention to provide a toywhich is simple in construction, which is light in weight and is sturdy,and has a resilient or elastic element which is highly effective andwhich is readily replaceable. 7

It is further among the objects of the present invention to provide atoy of the above described character which in use shows substantially nowear and which embodies a resilient member having a large area ofsupport to avoid wear.

In the accompanying drawing constituting a part hereof, and in whichlike reference characters indicate like parts,

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the toy of the present inventionshowing the frame thereof and having some parts broken away forclearness;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of an inverted cup constituting apart of the toy and shown partly in sect-ion;

FIG. 3 is a similar view of the elastic or resilient member or ball,being shown partly broken away for clearness;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the completed toy, which is anassembly of the elements shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3, some parts beingshown in section for clearness; and

FIG. 5 is a top plan view thereof taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 4. 7

An essential element of the toy is a ball 1 or the like made of elasticmaterial such as vulcanized rubber, here shown as being spherical inshape. The center 2 of the ball is hollow so that the ball is elastic.The frame consists of a yoke which has as an essential element anannulus 3 located at about the horizontal diameter of ball 1. A convexconnector 4 of approximately a semi-circle, is welded to annulus 3 atpoints 5 and 6. A similar convex connector 7 has its plane'at rightangles to the plane of a connector 4. It is welded to annulus 3 atpoints 8 and 9. Elements 3, 4 and 7 are preferably tubular.

A vertical handle 10 in the form of a tubehas a cap 11 at the upper endthereof. The lower end is weldedat 12 to the center point of connector7. Bar 13 in horizontal position is welded at the junction of handle 12and connector 7. At the ends 14 and 15 of bar 13 are downward extensions16 and 17, respectively, the ends of which are welded at 18 and 19,respectively, of annulus 3(On opposite sides of handle 10, areas 20 and21 of bar 13 are flattened to form foot rests. Both bar 13 andextensions 16 and 17 remain tubular in shape. This gives both lightnessand strength to the entire structure.

Ball 1 may be held within the yoke formed by elements 3, 4 and 7 andwill operate satisfactorily. However, the stresses imposed on ball 1 inuse are concentrated at relatively small areas so that wear of the ballis likely to occur. In order to avoid this, there is provided as shownin FIG. 2, a cup-shaped member 22 which is inverted. The edges 23thereof are turned up and notches 24 are provided along the periphery ofabout 90 apart. Cup 22 is inserted in the yoke and edge 23 is curledover annulus 3 as shown at 25. Thereby it is held securely in position.The cup gives complete support to the ball over about half of its areaand practically eliminates any possibility of damage to the ball even insevere use of the toy.

Although the invention has been described setting forth a singlespecific embodiment thereof, various changes in the details may be madewithin the spirit of the invention. For instance, one or more of themembers constituting the frame or yoke may be of solid material and anysuitable type of material for the purpose may be used. The

shape of the yoke or of the annulus may be other than that shown andboth the cup and the ball may be similarly shaped to fit into the yoke.The ball need not be spherical but other shapes may be used, such asoval, or the like. The ball may be made inflatable so that variouspressures may be introduced into the hollow thereof depending upon theweight of the individual who uses the toy. The handle may have adifferent form than shown; it may have a cross .bar for grapsing withthe hands, and cap 11 may be omitted or replaced by a dilferent element.

These and other changes may be made in the details without departingfrom the spirit of the invention, which is to be broadly construed andnot to be limited except by the character of the claim appended hereto.

I claim:

A toy comprising, a hollow resilient ball, a cup fitted over the upperportion of said ball, the cup having an upturned peripheral lower edge,a pair of yokes extending over the cup and crossing one another, eachyoke being provided with downwardly-extending legs, the legs of both ofthe yokes being connected by an annulus encircling the cup, the annulusbeing confined in the upturned edge of the cup, one of the yokes havinga horizontal cross bar flattened at spaced points to form foot rests,and a. vertical handle extending upwardly from one of the yokes at apoint between the foot rests, said yokes crossing one another atsubstantially right angles; the edge of the cup being curled upwardlyand outwardly; one of the yokes being arcuately shaped to conform to theconvex exterior of the cup, and the edge of the cup being notched atspaced points to receive the legs of the yokes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 880,846 3/08Wentworth -22o-73x FOREIGN PATENTS 370,108 4/32 Great Britain. 169,2973/51 Austria.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

